A Day in the Life

• Performances
• History
• Lyrics
• Artist
  • Phish
  • Fish
  • Mike
  • Page
  • Trey
  • All

Originally Performed By	The Beatles
Original Album	Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
Appears On
Also Known As	ADITL
Music/Lyrics	Lennon/McCartney
Vocals	Page, Trey
Historian	Phillip Zerbo (pzerbo)
Last Update	2019-03-02

History

The Lennon/McCartney classic "A Day in the Life" was first covered by Phish at Red Rocks on 6/10/95, and remained in regular rotation through 1997. Most often played as a set closer or encore, Phish’s renditions remain basically true to the original, with Page taking the Lennon lines and Trey assuming the Paul lines. For many the excitement in "ADITL" resides in the cacophonous and chaotic build-up of the orchestral sections of the song, especially the thrilling peak climax and dissonant piano resolution. 

Phish, "A Day in the Life" – 12/2/09, New York, NY

Notable early versions include the debut, as well as 10/31/95, 8/10/96, and 12/30/97. A very special performance can be found on 12/8/95, an encore combo with “Come Together,” played in honor of the 15th anniversary of John Lennon’s death. Phish declined the obvious invitation to play “ADITL” on 6/16/97 at the Royal Albert Hall, referenced in the song’s lyrics.

Last played pre-hiatus on 9/30/00 – immortalized on the Live in Vegas DVD – "ADITL" was absent from the entire "2.0" version of Phish, and didn't grace the stage again until their 3/7/09 return at Hampton. "ADITL" has since reclaimed its role as a fixture in the Phish repertoire, including versions that punctuated strong sets at Red Rocks on 7/31/09 (via a fluid segue from “Piper”); in Augusta, ME on 10/19/10; at SuperBall IX on 7/2/11; pairing with “Tweezer Reprise” to encore the sublime 10/20/13 Hampton gig; and following “Winterqueen” in its only 2014 appearance on 10/27/14 in San Francisco. 

Phish, "A Day in the Life" – 6/17/12, Atlantic City, NJ

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